Haru at the beach
by rcurtis
Summary: One day at the beach Haruka's finds a beached merman. What happens next is a giant undersea adventure.
1. Chapter 1

One day Nanase Haruka was at the beach admiring the love of his life, water. He would swim for hours on end and occasionally encounter the second most important thing to him, mackerel. Soon, it became late in the evening and he was the only one on the beach. He was reluctantly going to leave when some thing near the edge of the water caught his eye. There was a person on the sand lying face down. He usually could not care less, but if he let some one die in the tide, the water would not feel the same. As he approached he could notice details about the person. It seemed that he was a tall boy about his age, he had green hair under a green hat that pointed straight up, and he apparently had a silver staff stuck in the ground. Finally stopping in front of him he saw something that made his eyes widen. This guy had a tail.

The top half of the boy was obviously fit with his abundance of muscles. Around his waist emerald green scales covered him and led down into a massive tail. _This person is a merman but why is he here? _Haru thought silently. Just as he was about to reach out and touch his tail the boy started to stir. The merman rolled over before opening green eyes that matched the color of his scales. When he saw Haru near him he panicked and started to drag himself further from the water and Haru. Haru could easily keep up with the boy that was literally dragging half his body along. "You don't have to be afraid. I won't hurt you. My name is Nanase Haruka. What is yours?" The merman stopped and laughed with a gentle and pleasing voice." You have a girly name like me. I am Tachibana Makoto, Cardinal of Mizukami." "What is that?" Haru asked.

The merman smiled and explained "The city where the merfolk live is called Mizukami. The city is located about a mile from the edge of the shore and is divided in to four sections. Each cardinal direction gets a section and the ones appointed to lead each section is called a Cardinal. I am in charge of the citizens in the north of the city. The way the city is oriented, both the North and West border half the beach. Technically, I'm now on Nagisa's side. Can you carry me over a few feet over there?" He asked as he turned his head in embaressment. Haru shrugged and wrapped Makoto's arm over his shoulder and dragged him back to his territory in the water. After he got the staff, he asked "Why were you unconscious in the first place?" Makoto frowned and muttered "I wasn't paying attention and a rip tide got me. Thank you for reminding me Haru-chan." "Leave out the -chan" he replied.

"Thank you for your help! I won't forget this and I'll come back with a reward. I'll also send word to Nagisa, he will want to meet you too. Goodbye!" Makoto quickly left, swimming at break-neck speeds towards Mizukami. Haru sighed, seeing that his life was going to get complicated. He went back to his house, fixed dinner for himself as usual, and went to sleep. The next day he went out again to the beach to see if what happened yesterday was real or not. It was not like he was doing anything that day, or any day really because of summer break.

At the end of the day, he was going to leave when he heard someone call his name. In the water at the center of the beach he saw two figures in the water, one wearing green and the other one yellow. "Hello again, Haru-chan. This is Hazuki Nagisa, Cardinal of Mizukami. I wanted him to see you." Makoto said happily. Haruka saw that Nagisa wore the same type of hat as Makoto except golden yellow. His scales were also gold."Hi Haru-chan, I'm the Cardinal of the west. I guess that means the right side of the beach is for me and the left is for Mako-chan." "Do all merpeople have beutiful voices like you two have?" Haru asked after hearing them both speak. Makoto and Nagisa both started to blush and turn their heads away. "Do you think we sound beautiful Haru-chan?" Makoto asked and Nagisa started to get hyper "Who sounds better? Me? Mako-chan? Tell us Haru-chan." To be honest, Haruka couldn't choose between them.


	2. Chapter 2

Nanase Haruka had a hard time choosing between Makoto and Nagisa. _Makoto's voice is warm and friendly but Nagisa's vioce is upbeat and bubbly. Both voices are very attractive._ Mokoto and Nagisa were watching him think, looking at him expectantly. "I can't choose between you two at all." Haruka finally stated. Both looked a little disappointed until Nagisa looked like he had an idea. "Haru-chan? Do you mind if I sing to you? I heard the legend that if a merperson sings to a human they will be drawn to the voice." "You can't honestly believe that old wives' tale." Makoto replied annoyed. Haruka heard that rumor too and wanted to know if it was factual. "Sing." Nagisa took a deep breath and started to sing:

Sekai de ichi-ban OHIME-SAMA  
Sou iu atsukai KOKORO-ete  
Yo ne?  
Sono-ichi  
Itsumo to chigau kami-gata ni kiga-tsuku koto  
Sono-ni  
Chanto kutsu made mirukoto, ii ne?  
Sono-san  
Watashi no hito-koto niwa mittsu no-

Nagisa stopped as he felt Haruka hug him tightly and start to nuzzle him. Soon after Haruka gained control of himself and staryed to blush. When he gained composure, he said "I guess what they said was true." Makoto was still in shock. "I can't believe this happened." "Why don't you prove it and sing yourself. If he clings to you, it's true. If not. either you did it wrong or Haru-chan just loves me." That got both Makoto and Haruka to glare at him. "Well, here goes nothing..."

Just be friends All we gotta do Just be friends  
It's time to say goodbye Just be friends  
All we gotta do Just be friends  
Just be friends  
Just be friends…  
Ukandan da Kinou no asa hayaku ni  
Wareta GURASU Kaki atsumeru youna  
Kore wa ittai nandarou Kitta yubi karashitataru shizuku  
Bokura wa konna koto Shitakatta no kana  
Wakatteta yo Kokoro-

"Yeah it's true!" Nagisa said as he saw Haruka nuzzle Makoto. Both were blushing when it was over. Luckily Makoto remembered something."Haru-chan do you want your reward for helping me yesterday?" He then put a little ball shaped object in Haruka's hand."You didn't have to go and get me a pearl. I don't wear jewlery." Haruka said after looking at the thing in his hand. Nagisa then explained "No, Haru-chan you don't wear it you eat it. It's magic, if you eat it you will be able to live under the water with us." Haruka looked skeptical at the pearl.

"So if I eat this pearl, I can live with you forever?" Haruka asked. Makoto and Nagisa nodded and smiled. There was nothing keeping Haruka on the land. He was an only child with no contact with his parents abroad. His grandmother passed away two years ago. Haruka put the pearl in his mouth and was about to swallow when he remembered something very important. "If I go under the water, will I still be able to eat makeral. It's my favorite food." The two mermen looked like they were going to laugh. "Good one Haru-chan! Eating fish of all things!" Makoto saw that it might have been true after looking at Haruka's face. "Haru-chan, we oversee both fish and merpeople in our regions. You can't eat them." "Then what do you eat. I don't want to starve."

"We don't eat fish but we do eat the clams and oysters in the sea. Also we have seaweed and kelp." Nagisa explained. Haruka was not too pleased that he would have to change his whole diet and try totally different foods. "If I went down with you, could I come back to the surface." As much as the Cardinals were attractive and kind, there was absolutely no way he was going to stay without his favorite food.

"You could leave at any time. We wouldn't try to stop you. And you could always come back to us." Makoto assured. Nagisa agreed with him "We would be sad but we don't want you to be sad, Haruka's-chan." Haruka then decided that there would be nothing to lose if he went down with them. Haruka tilted his head back and swallowed the pearl. "I'll go with you guys, but only for a while."

"Take our hands an we'll take you to Mizukami right now." Nagisa said. Haruka reached out and took Makoto's hand with his right and Nagisa with his left. They slowly led him into the deeper water.


End file.
